VTJP Palestine/Israel Newslinks 8 September 2013: Israel’s Lobbyists Pushing Hard for another War in the Middle East

Israeli forces issue 4 demolition orders in Jerusalem9/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli municipality staff and police issued four demolition orders for commercial properties in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Sunday, a local group said. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that Israeli forces raided Silwan and issued demolition orders for the properties on the pretext that they were built without a license. The shops belong to the Qarain family and….

PA official: Settlers attack vehicles in Nablus9/8/2013 – NABLUS (Ma’an) — A group of extremist settlers attacked dozens of Palestinian vehicles in Nablus overnight Saturday, a Palestinian Authority official said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an that settlers threw empty bottles and stones at cars traveling on the Ramallah-Nablus road near the illegal Eli settlement. At least 25 vehicles were damaged, he added….

Israeli forces clash with Al-Quds university students9/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Al-Quds university students in Abu Dis on Sunday, witnesses said. An Israeli border police patrol stopped and searched several students at the main gate of the university in Abu Dis, inspecting identity cards and detaining several students for over an hour. Clashes broke out after university staff prevented Israeli forces from entering….

Israel arrests 4 Palestinians in Beit Ummar9/8/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces on Sunday detained four Palestinians from Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, a local committee said. Mohanad Yousef Awad, 19, Khaldoun Mohammad Awad, 19, and Ali Ikhlayyil, 18, were arrested on their way to work in Jerusalem, said popular committee spokesman Mohammad Awad. Also Sunday, forces raided the homes of brothers Ahmad and Jamal Abu Hashem. Israeli forces handed notices….

Hebron woman detained for ‘attempting to stab soldier’9/8/2013 – HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces detained a woman in Hebron on Sunday for attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, witnesses said. Locals told Ma’an that Ayat Mahfouth, 20, was arrested in Shuhada street and taken to an unknown location. An Israeli army spokeswoman said soldiers detained a woman south of Hebron who was found to be carrying a 9. 5-centimeter knife during a routine security check. [END]

Beit Jala priest urges pope to help Palestinian Christians9/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A priest in Beit Jala on Sunday wrote a letter to Pope Francis describing the ongoing persecution which Christians face under Israeli occupation. Father Ibrahim Shomali said that Christians in the West Bank suffer from land confiscation to build settlements, roads and the separation wall. Land from Cremisan monastery is also being seized to build the Israeli separation wall, he wrote….

Dozens demonstrate in Beit Jala against Syria military action9/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Dozens of people held a demonstration in Beit Jala on Saturday to protest possible military action in Syria. The protest was organized by the Palestinian People’s Party, with demonstrators gathering in front of Beit Jala municipality building. Protestors waved Syrian and Palestinian flags and called for a political solution to the conflict. 1 ) Disdainful Arrogance / Germany 08/09/2013….

Abbas to visit UK, France9/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Britain on Sunday to kick-off a European tour which will include a stop in France. Abbas is expected to meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron and foreign secretary William Hague.”As the Foreign Secretary has repeatedly said, there is no more urgent UK foreign policy priority than resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and 2013 is a….

Haniyeh urges refugees in Lebanon to form unified position9/8/2013 – GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday urged Palestinians in Lebanon to form a unified position towards unrest in the country related to fighting in Syria. Haniyeh said that the security and stability of Lebanon is paramount, and that the Palestinian position in Lebanon should be unified to protect all refugee camps in the country. Palestinians in Lebanon must not….

Hamdallah visits ex-prisoner in Vienna9/8/2013 – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Caretaker Palestinian Authority prime minister Rami Hamdallah on Saturday visited an ex-Palestinian prisoner receiving medical treatment in Austria. Hamdallah, who is currently on an international tour to secure funding for the PA, visited Muhammad al-Taj in Vienna. The caretaker PM said that the PA will always do its best to support prisoners, whether through financial aid or rehabilitation programs. A member….

Israel deploys Iron Dome system near Jerusalem9/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defense system near Jerusalem Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, as the United States lobbied for domestic and international support for military strikes against Syria. The correspondent said the battery was set up west of the city. A military spokeswoman would not comment on the deployment, saying only that “defense systems are deployed in accordance with situation assessments….

Obama’s Syria difficulties cause worries in Israel9/8/2013 – JERUSALEM (AFP) — President Barack Obama’s difficulties in securing support for a strike on Syria are seen by Israeli media and analysts as a sign of the decline of American deterrence in the Middle East. Congress will on Monday begin to debate military action proposed by Obama, who accuses Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime of perpetrating an attack with chemical weapons near….

Qalqiliya directorate of education staff issue collective resignation9/8/2013 – QALQILIYA (Ma’an) — Staff from the Qalqiliya directorate of education collectively resigned on Sunday from the general union of Palestinian teachers. The staff members resigned because they were excluded from a recent agreement between the PA and the union of teachers, a statement said. It is not the first time that administrative staff members have been excluded from agreements with the PA regarding salaries….

Tubas protesters demand PA opens hospital9/8/2013 – JENIN (Ma’an) — Dozens of protesters on Sunday demanded the Palestinian Authority open a recently-constructed hospital in Tubas. Protesters held signs condemning the delay in opening the Turkish Hospital, which has been ready to open for 10 months. The hospital was funded by the Turkish government, and the corner stone was laid in 2008. Construction began in 2010, and the hospital was ready to….

Gunmen kill 2 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai9/8/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Two Egyptian soldiers were killed late Saturday by gunmen in the Sinai city of Sheikh Zuweid, security officials said. Unidentified gunmen opened fire at soldiers positioned in the village of al-Fatat before fleeing the scene. Egyptian forces on Saturday launched the largest military operation in Sinai since the 1973 war with Israel, bombing at least 12 locations in the peninsula….

Graphic videos of Syria victims surface9/8/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — A US congressional panel posted videos of Syrian victims, many of them children, as the White House presses its case for a strike against Damascus. The 13 graphic videos were shown to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, according to the panel’s website, which says they “explicitly claim to show victims of a chemical or poison gas attack.” The….

Egyptian forces continue Sinai crackdown9/8/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian army helicopters launched airstrikes in the Sinai peninsula on Sunday for the second consecutive day. Helicopters stuck targets in Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, shelling weapons caches and houses. The villages of al-Mahdiyya and al-Muqataa were hit by missiles, witnesses told Ma’an. Reports of casualties and damage have yet to be announced. The airstrikes will be followed by….

Report: 5 Jordanians killed in Syria in last 24 hours9/8/2013 – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Five Jordanian citizens have been killed in Syria over the past 24 hours, according to the government controlled SANA news agency. Sufyan Khalil, Ahmad al-Haj and Ahmad Tawil were killed in clashes with Syrian regime forces in Deraa. SANA reported that the Syrian army had killed a group of “terrorists.”[END]

US plans for ‘3 days of attack’ on Syria9/8/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Pentagon is readying more intense and longer attacks on Syria than originally planned, set to last three days, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday. War planners now aim to unleash a heavy barrage of missile strikes to be followed swiftly by additional attacks on targets that may have been missed or remain standing after the initial launch, the Times cited officials….

Egypt army disconnects phone networks in North Sinai9/8/2013 – EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) — Egyptian security forces on Sunday shutdown telecommunication networks in Sinai on the second day of a crackdown against armed groups in the peninsula. Landline and cell phone networks were disconnected to prevent contact and coordination between armed groups, an Egyptian security official told Ma’an. However, militants are using Israeli and Palestinian mobile networks to bypass the shutdown of….

Syria’s Assad ‘denies ordering chemical attack’9/8/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad has denied he was behind a chemical attack last month and called on lawmakers to reject planned US military strikes warning of possible retaliation, CBS television said Sunday.”He denied that he had anything to do with the attack,” CBS veteran correspondent Charlie Rose said, after earlier interviewing Assad in Damascus.”He denied that he knew there was a….

Syria rebels seize famed Christian town Maalula9/8/2013 – BEIRUT (AFP) — Syrian rebels, including jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda, have taken control of the historic Christian town of Maalula north of Damascus, a watchdog and residents said on Sunday. The town, home to around 5,000 people, is strategically important for rebels, who are trying to tighten their grip around the capital and already have bases south and west of Damascus. Maalula, around 55 kilometers from….

Arab ministers agree Syria attack crossed ‘global red line’9/8/2013 – PARIS (AFP) — US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that Arab Le
ague ministers had agreed at talks in Paris that Syria crossed a “global red line” in its alleged chemical weapons attack. Kerry said a number of Arab countries were willing to sign a statement agreed by 12 countries of the G20 that called for a reaction to the alleged attack, and that they….

Jihadist group claims bomb targeting Egypt minister9/8/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — An Al-Qaeda-inspired group based in Egypt’s Sinai has said it was behind a bombing that targeted the interior minister in a failed assassination attempt, a statement on militant Islamist forums said.”God has allowed your brothers in Ansar Beit al-Maqdis to shatter the security organization of the murderer Mohammed Ibrahim through a martyrdom operation,” the group said in the online statement….

Egypt army keeps upper hand as country eyes transition9/8/2013 – CAIRO (AFP) — The deadly crackdown on Islamists across Egypt could radicalize their ranks and at the same time further bolster the powerful army during the country’s transitional phase, experts say. Violence has gripped Egypt since July 3, when the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following massive demonstrations against his turbulent one-year rule. The military has appointed an interim president and government, but….

Obama gears for all-out push on Syria9/8/2013 – WASHINGTON (AFP) — Washington was Sunday engaged in a diplomatic offensive at home and abroad with US President Barack Obama gearing for an all-out push to persuade skeptical Americans to back strikes against the Syrian regime. With US lawmakers returning Monday from a summer break and set to debate whether to approve limited US military action in Syria, a crucial week looms for America with the….

Arab world reluctant over Mideast peace talksThe National 8 Sep 2013 – Qatar criticises Israel for building Jewish settlements after John Kerry briefs Arab diplomats in an effort to garner support for nascent Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Panel unpicks Egypt’s Islamist constitutionThe National 8 Sep 2013 – Panel dominated by secularist parties and liberal public figures has convened for the first time to look into key revisions of disputed articles of Islamist-backed 2012 constitution.

A cruel fate for a charity stalwart from UAEThe National 8 Sep 2013 – Pakistan-born Mubashir Niaz had dedicated much of his time to his charity which provided clean water, schools and health care for poverty-ridden parts of his home country. Last week the Abu Dhabi engineer drowned as he launched the latest of his charity s projects, writes James Doran

Lion caught roaming streets of KuwaitThe National 8 Sep 2013 – A passerby lured a runaway lion roaming an upmarket suburb of Kuwait into his car and then called the police for help, an incident that raised concerns about wild animals kept as pets there.

Syria: It s Still a Revolution, My FriendsRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 5, 2013 -No matter what your position on the potential U.S. strikes on Syria (I m against), all I ask is, DON T be a hater who denies the existence of the grassroots youth who began the Syrian revolution…

The twisted logic of interventionRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 5, 2013 – ..Why does the U.S. assume the right to inflict a military assault on Syria–or any other country it decides should be “punished”? First, it has to be said that this is a very American conversation. Not…

AFRICOM s Gigantic “Small Footprint”Relief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 5, 2013 – Here s a question for you: Can a military tiptoe onto a continent? It seems the unlikeliest of images, and yet it s a reasonable enough description of what the U.S. military has been doing ever…

Israeli Court Sentences Teenager To 14 YearsRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 5, 2013 – The Ofer Israeli military court sentenced on Wednesday Mohammad Omar Rashed, 17, from Yatta town, near the southern West bank city of Hebron, to 14 years, including five on parole, and ordered him to pay a…

The historical truth about Bedouin expulsion from the NegevRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 5, 2013 – Now, when nearly 40,000 Bedouins are facing the threat of being uprooted from their homes as a result of the Begin-Prawer plan, when propagandists on behalf of the state are circulating lies about the “Bedouin invasion…

Syria News – September 4, 2013 (Warning: Graphic Videos) Relief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 4, 2013 – By the end of Wednesday the cordination committees were able to document 72 martyrs including 9 women,10 children: 25 Martyrs were reportede in Damascus and its suburbs;18 in Aleppo;11 in Idlib;6 in Homs;4 in Deir Ezzor;4…

What happens when an IDF colonel overrules Israel s High CourtRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 5, 2013 – …Last month we reported that after a three-year sisyphean legal struggle, the IDF finally implemented a High Court of Justice order that Ali Shabana be allowed to access his land; and that the son of the…

Syria News – September 4, 2013 (Warning: Graphic Videos) Relief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 4, 2013 – By the end of Wednesday the cordination committees were able to document 72 martyrs including 9 women,10 children: 25 Martyrs were reportede in Damascus and its suburbs;18 in Aleppo;11 in Idlib;6 in Homs;4 in Deir Ezzor;4…

Manning Lawyer Submits Request for Presidential Pardon from ObamaRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 4, 2013 – The civilian defense attorney for Pvt. Bradley Manning, who now goes by Chelsea Manning, has filed an application for a presidential pardon or commutation of Manning s sentence. The filing contains a letter written by her…

U.S. Still Hasn t Armed Syrian RebelsRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 4, 2013 – In June, the White House authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to help arm moderate fighters battling the Assad regime, a signal to Syrian rebels that the cavalry was coming. Three months later, they are still waiting….

Israel Stalls, Drags Out Peace TalksRelief Web 8 Sep 2013 – September 4, 2013 – Information leaked to Al-Monitor from the hush-hush Palestinian-Israeli peace talks reveal that negotiators are stuck on where they should begin. Palestinians want the talks to begin where they left off the last time substantive talks took…

Yemen south separatists to return to national dialogueDaily Star 8 Sep 2013 Yemen southern separatists agreed Sunday to return to national reconciliation talks after receiving assurances the future of their region will be discussed, the United Nations and an opposition chief said.

NATO air strike “killed civilians” :KarzaiDaily Star 8 Sep 2013 President Hamid Karzai has condemned a NATO air strike in Afghanistan’s lawless east that Afghan officials say may have killed up to eight civilians, the latest evidence of friction between the president and his international backers.

Jihadist group claims bomb targeting Egypt ministerDaily Star 8 Sep 2013 An Al-Qaeda-inspired group based in Egypt’s Sinai has said it was behind a bombing that targeted the interior minister in a failed assassination attempt, a statement on militant Islamist forums said.

Abductors free daughter of Libya’s ex-spy chiefDaily Star 8 Sep 2013 The daughter of Libya’s ex-spy chief under dictator Moammar Gadhafi was released by her abductors after her tribe cut off the capital’s water supply, officials said Sunday.

Israel deploys Iron Dome system near Jerusalem: AFPDaily Star 8 Sep 2013 Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defence system near Jerusalem Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, as the United States lobbied for domestic and international support for military strikes against Syria.

Al-Qaida claims Iraq bombs that killed at least 50Daily Star 8 Sep 2013 The Iraqi branch of al-Qaida claimed responsibility Sunday for a wave of coordinated car bomb attacks that killed more than 50 people in Baghdad, as two new attacks killed another five in the latest outbreak of…

Egypt Islamist party proves savvy, pragmatic, analysts sayLA Times 8 Sep 2013 – The Nour Party’s calculated moves during the crisis have helped the group cement a place as the new voice for political Islam in Egypt, some say. CAIRO On the mid-August day that Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of Islamist protesters, throwing the country into…

Pentagon adjusts plans for more intense attacks on SyriaLA Times 7 Sep 2013 – U.S. war planners are preparing for three days of attacks on Syria, a longer bombardment than originally envisioned. WASHINGTON The Pentagon is preparing for a longer bombardment of Syria than it originally had planned, with a heavy barrage of missile strikes followed soon after…

Visiting Republicans Laud Egypt s ForceNew York Times 8 Sep 2013 – Michele Bachmann and two other House Republicans pledged solidarity against the Muslim Brotherhood, which they, like Cairo s new leaders, deem a terrorist group.

Assad Denies Gas Attack; White House Presses a StrikeNew York Times 8 Sep 2013 – As the White House chief of staff appeared on Sunday morning news shows to make the administration s case for an airstrike, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said in a CBS interview that his government was not behind a chemical attack.

Two Deadly Attacks in AfghanistanNew York Times 8 Sep 2013 – Officials reported a drone strike in Eastern Afghanistan that killed up to 16 people and a Taliban assault in another province that killed 4 intelligence officers and injured over 120 civilians.

Zardari of Pakistan Ending His PresidencyNew York Times 8 Sep 2013 – President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan is ending his term in office, becoming the first democratically elected president in the country s history to complete his full tenure.

With the World Watching, Syria Amassed Nerve GasNew York Times 7 Sep 2013 – Despite an international effort to block it, Syria s governing Assad family exploited large loopholes, lax enforcement and a far greater emphasis on limiting the spread of nuclear arms.

Netanyahu Scoffs at Iranian GreetingsNew York Times 7 Sep 2013 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a statement that he was unimpressed by reports that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued greetings for the Jewish New Year.

In Egypt, a Welcome for Syrian Refugees Turns BitterNew York Times 7 Sep 2013 – Syrians, along with other foreigners, were made scapegoats as the military took power and warned of external plots to destabilize Egypt, unleashing a suffocating xenophobia in the news media and on the streets.

U.S. House Closing in on 218 Votes Opposing Syria AttackTikun Olam – The unthinkable may be about to happen. As Washington prepares for a series of dramatic debates and votes in the House and Senate for attacking Syria, the NY Times is reporting that opponents are closing in on the 218 votes needed to torpedo Obama s plans. The…

Jews without IsraelMondoweiss – This post originally appeared September 6, 2013 on Corey Robin s blog . In shul this morning, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the rabbi spoke at length about the State of Israel. This is more surprising than you might think. I ve been going to this shul since…

Syria ‘crossed global red line’ BBC 8 Sep 2013 – The US secretary of state says he and Arab League foreign ministers have agreed at talks in Paris that Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons crossed a “global red line”.

Assad urges US to call off assault, promises retaliation Al-Akhbar News 8 Sep 2013 – A Pakistani boy holds a placard in Karachi on 8 September 2013. (Photo: AFP – Asif Hassan) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied in an interview with CBS television that he was behind a chemical attack last month and called on lawmakers to reject a planned…

Kidnappers release Gaddafi spy chief’s daughter Al-Akhbar News 8 Sep 2013 – The daughter of Libya’s ex-spy chief Abdullah Senussi, who was reportedly kidnapped last week, has been freed, a member of her tribe said on Sunday. Senussi was intelligence chief for Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, and his daughter Unud had completed a 10-month jail term when she was…

Egypt launches more airstrikes against Sinai Islamists Al-Akhbar News 8 Sep 2013 – Egyptian military helicopters carried out a second day of air raids on Sunday in the Sinai Peninsula, where they are facing an insurgency by Islamist militants, witnesses said. Apache helicopters hit targets in north Sinai near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip, witnesses said….

US to strike “many more” than 50 targets in Syria: report Al-Akhbar News 8 Sep 2013 – Protesters demonstrate against US plans to attack Syria on 7 September 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo: AFP / Getty Images – David McNew) The United States is readying more intense and longer attacks on Syria than originally planned, set to last three days, the Los Angeles Times…

NATO airstrike kills 10 civilians in Afghanistan Al-Akhbar News 8 Sep 2013 – At least ten civilians, including four children, have been killed in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan, Afghan provincial officials said Sunday. “At least four women, four children and two civilian drivers were killed in a NATO airstrike in Wattapur district of Kunar province,” Kunar Police…

Syria ‘crossed global red line’ BBC 8 Sep 2013 – The US secretary of state says he and Arab League foreign ministers have agreed at talks in Paris that Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons crossed a “global red line”.

Settler shoots at Palestinian, police find no criminal culpability Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz, +972 Magazine 9/8/2013The Judea and Samaria Police outdid itself by closing a case of shooting at a Palestinian for lack of criminal culpability. This blog has dealt extensively with one of the most dysfunctional organizations around, to wit, the Judea and Samaria Police District (JSPD), which manages to look even worse than regular Israeli police. (Judea and Samaria is the name used by Israel to describe the West Bank.) That should have immunized yours truly from being shocked by it; and yet, our volunteers are now helping search for my dropped jaw. Let s begin with the facts: there is a village called Burin. Unfortunately for it, it is adjacent to a series of settlements and illegal outposts. One of the latter is Givat Ronen. In the Palestinian house closest to the outposts lives a man called Bruce Lee (after the famous Karate star) Eid. He and his family members have been suffering violence and abuse by the settlers for quite some time. At the beginning of April, Bruce-Lee Eid lodged a complaint with the JSPD about three related incidents. In the first one, which took place on March 31, Bruce-Lee Eid noticed a settler he is familiar approaching his house; the settler is called R. In his complaint, Bruce-Lee Eid noted he knows R. since the latter tends to herd his flock on Bruce-Lee Eid s lands. R. was accompanied by a minor and a third person. According to the complaint, R. threatened to murder Bruce-Lee Eid, and at one point drew a gun and fired into the air. The minor and the third person began chasing Bruce-Lee Eid and his family members into the house, while the minor pointed at them what appeared to be an M-16 assault rifle and vocally made firing sounds. A military force reached the scene, drove off the settlers, detained the minor and reach the conclusion the rifle was fake, but refrained from arresting them. more..e-mail

Gaza s enemies come out of the woodworkLama Khater, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 9/5/2013 Suddenly, blood no longer holds any weight between brothers and no one affiliates with the common thread of Arabism. Talk of an Arab army’s aggression towards Gaza is normalised and portrayed as an acceptable outcome in many Arab media outlets. In an era of Arab degradation, in which many dictators have tightened their grip, the maximum limits of the tragedy have been reached when it comes to Palestinian officials’ silence and inability to condemn the tragedy they are facing. Their inaction can be classified as an act of betrayal and active participation in the Zionist crime against Palestine and its people. In this critical phase of the Arab Spring, which gives rise to tyrants who sow the seeds of hatred towards Palestine and Palestinian resistance in their attempts to cause incitement, the fruit of their efforts will be ugly. Tyrants will step on the bodies of the pure and destroy any positive signs in the Islamic world. The Egyptian army is currently waging an unprecedented war with its blockade of the Gaza Strip. The media openly speaks of bringing Hamas to its knees; why? It is the only entity of the Palestinian resistance that functions outside the binds and limitations of the Israeli occupation. All of this is being met with indifference by a wide range of the Arab public and Gaza’s enemies creep out of the woodwork. This group of malicious and corrupt people are the same individuals who invested in the epidemics plaguing the Arab word and benefited from the Arab nation’s weakened state and lack of will. They were bound to address some of their impulsive degradation towards Gaza so that they would be able to implement the same vices and grab the reins of authority. Dirt has been cast over the glimmer of hope cowering under the ashes of the revolutions. more..e-mail

Preliminary observations on the rise of Islamic movementsMajed Kayali, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 9/4/2013As long as a party is non-violent, it should be encouraged to participate in the democratic process. This includes the Muslim Brotherhood. Given the involvement and degree of relative success of the Islamic movements perhaps we should be referring to the “Islamic Spring”, not the “Arab” version. It is worth considering some general observations about this phenomenon with regards to the rise of Islamic movements across the Arab world. The first notable point is that the movements and groups are not homogeneous as some would like us to believe. They are varied, just like other civil society organisations and political parties. Egypt has (for now) its Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood; the Salafi Al-Nour Party; the Middle Party; Strong Egypt Party; the Sufi Movement (two branches); various other Salafi groups; and so-called “Jihadist” and “Takfiri” groups. All of these cover the Sunni and Shia wings of Islam. Such variety is normal within the Muslim community. Where the difficulties arise is when each one thinks that it alone has the truth and answers to all problems, and then goes so far as to denounce other Muslims and Islamic groups. The secular and leftist parties have similar problems, although they are convinced that only faith-based parties have such issues. In any
case, faith-based parties have just as much right as secular parties to be involved in the political arena, especially in a country where faith plays such a major role in society. It is interesting that secularist opprobrium appears to be reserved for the Islamic parties such as Al-Nahda in Tunisia and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt which have had electoral success…. more..e-mail

By attacking Syria, Obama is making a political point, not a moral oneDr. Sarah Marusek, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) 9/6/2013However as Gideon Levy correctly points out in an article recently published by Haaretz, nobody on this planet can seriously consider the US, the “country responsible for the most bloodshed since World War II some say as many as 8 million dead at its hands in Southeast Asia, South America, Afghanistan and Iraq,” to be a moral superpower. Like many US presidents passed, President Obama is determined to violently attack others in the name of morality and the common good. He and other American exceptionalists tell us that the US has a moral obligation to enter into the Syrian conflict, even though any such military intervention goes against international law and popular will. The UN Security Council has not sanctioned any attack on Syria and so far the situation has not met the standards for a humanitarian intervention under the so-called responsibility to protect norm. Furthermore, not only is international opinion against military intervention in Syria, but a new Washington Post-ABC News poll reveals that around six out of ten Americans also oppose the proposed US military strike. Nevertheless, President Obama appears more determined than ever to conduct an extra-legal military assault against the Syrian regime, we are told, in the name of morality supposedly in response to a chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday, 21 August that was allegedly carried out by President Al-Assad’s forces. Any use of chemical weapons is indeed reprehensible. However as Gideon Levy correctly points out in an article recently published by Haaretz, nobody on this planet can seriously consider the US, the “country responsible for the most bloodshed since World War II some say as many as 8 million dead at its hands in Southeast Asia, South America, Afghanistan and Iraq,” to be a moral superpower. Especially considering that the US has often used chemical weapons in the past…. more..e-mail

worse than 2007In Gaza: 7 Sep 2013 – When I spoke with Saber today, his voice again sounded much weaker than I ve ever heard it. Saber usually lives up to his name, Sabr , resilience and patience. But today, he, like Emad a week ago, spoke of how Gaza was as bad, was worse than, it had been in 2007. No fuel, no milk, soon no bread. Long line-ups for gas people wait for hours for a container of gas. Do you remember how morning usually were in Gaza, with taxis filling the street, taking students to school and university and people to work? There re virtually no taxis now. People are sad, very sad. People want to breath. Electricity& we have it for just 4 hours a day now, 6 maximum. And now, new reports that the border is again closed indefinitely, as if the previous weeks of closures didn t suffice. Filed under: siege on Gazamore

Israel s Lobbyists Pushing Hard for another War in the Middle EastPalestine Chronicle: 8 Sep 2013 – By Jeremy Salt Ankara Two million refugees out of Syria, some of them Palestinian refugees from 1948 and 1967 and some Iraqi refugees from 2004. They are the consequences of war and yet the raging beast that is devouring the Middle East is still not satiated. Another war looms. Another country already devastated is to be shattered by missile attacks. Who wants this war: who could want it? Who could even think of avenging the dead by calling for more killing? It is not the people of the world. All polls show they are against it. Not just the people of Latin America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia and China but the American people, the British people, the French people and the Turkish people. It is only the politicians who want this war: Obama, Kerry, Hagel, McCain and others in the US; Cameron and Hague in Britain; Hollande…more

Munich, Syria, and InterventionPalestine Chronicle: 8 Sep 2013 – By Binoy Kampmark Historical analogies can be effective tools to command attention. They can also be grotesque fabrications and dangerous distortions. Each historical event has its own locale of development, its own forces, and distinctiveness. Analogy, for that reasons, can only be suggestive, never conclusive. The Munich Analogy is one such object of abuse. In 1938, Czechoslovakia was effectively surrendered to Nazi Germany by agreement at Munich, part of Western Europe s appeasement strategy in the wake of a rampant Adolf Hitler. This was a crude version of land for peace give the land to Nazi Germany, and keep the peace in Europe. Europe was still war stricken by the First World War. The episode has been much misunde
rstood, and often such misunderstandings become the basis of analogies. This awareness is not evident in such individuals as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has leapt at the analogy at…more

The Return of the GolemsPalestine Chronicle: 8 Sep 2013 – By William A. Cook AIPAC urges Congress to grant the President the authority he has requested to protect America s national security interests and dissuade the Syrian regime s further use of unconventional weapons. The civilized world cannot tolerate the use of these barbaric weapons, particularly against an innocent civilian population including hundreds of children. (AIPAC, 9/3/2013) To understand AIPAC s press statement to the US Congress and the American people, we must understand what is not said: urges means demands ; protect America s national security interest means protect Israel s national security interests ; dissuade means destroy ; Syrian regime s further use of unconventional weapons means prevent by total destruction Syria s use of the weapons Israel uses against Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and the Palestinian people ; civilized world cannot tolerate the use of these barbaric weapons means Israel, which does use these barbaric weapons even against children as in the Christmas devastation of Gaza in 2008/9,…more